Running Away
by Ari Powwel
Summary: [one-shot] Kairi wonders what happened to Riku in the time she'd waited for Sora and him. Riku's miserable. Keaira . . . well, Keaira's being Keaira. Which means chaos can't be far behind . . .


**thinks** Well . . . I know, you'll probably have a problem with how some of the stuff here happens . . . I'll try to explain it at the end **nods** but I may havta _not_ explain because it'll spoil the plot of my story, Kingdom Hearts?!

**Ari nods again and turns back to her evil writer's block** Why . . . won't . . . you . . . DIE?! **grabs a blue paintpen from on top of the block and starts scrawling on the side** Dammit, it's out! How long has this thing _been_ here?! **reaches up and grabs a dark green one, then starts writing on the block again** Ooh, I havta change a name in here, though, sooo . . . Keaira. That's her temporary name. It means 'little dark one' ((I love babynames.com))  
Now, try not to be annoyed if Keaira's made out to be a bit of a Mary-Sue **faints and comes back again** the scourge of all OCs . . . she's not. I promise. If you don't believe me, check out Kingdom Hearts?! for proof ^_^ **turns back to the writer's block with her green paintpens**

Later: **goes to upload** Ooook, that was weird.  
Artemis: What.  
Ari: Well, normally I don't bother naming the documents, and just hit a few random keys as a title . . . this time, I just hit three buttons, and it named itself 'sad'!!  
Artemis: Strange.  
Ari: **nods**

**Title:** Running Away  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** spiffy_yet_insane@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . well, I guess there are some, but not that I know of at the moment.  
**Summary:** . . . I really, truly don't know. This is just a weird story about what would happen after Riku got back if a certain little troublemaker came back, too. ((no, not Sora!))  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. Song lyrics belong to Hoobastank. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riku sat on his tree, staring out into the oceans beyond. He no longer wished to know what was out there: a world of pain, hatred, and darkness. He'd been crossed so many times he wasn't sure who was his friend or not. He looked back at the main island, sighing. After the unknowns had helped him out, he'd been able to pass through their dimension. Apparently Sora had done that before; that's what had led him to Riku. A smirk passed over Riku's face. Sora had, once again, beaten him to something.

Not that it mattered. Nothing really mattered anymore.

Once he'd have said that only one thing mattered: Kairi. But that wasn't the story anymore. He'd seen the picture on the cavern wall . . . several times, in fact. He'd seen it before leaving the island, and had been slightly hurt that they'd excluded him from it. He and Kairi hadn't ever excluded Sora from their pictures, although there'd been ample time to. But he'd stumbled from the doorway in a bright flash of light, tripping over a rock in front of it. He'd tugged the blindfold from his eyes – they weren't nearly as sensitive as they'd originally been, but he still felt the need for it in bright light – and been greeted by the _wonderful_ sight of the drawn figures of Kairi and Sora sharing a paopu fruit. He'd climbed to his feet seconds before Sora had staggered out of the door, and as far as he knew, Sora didn't know he'd seen it.

A shuddering of the branch he was perched on brought Riku back to attention. He looked below him to see a girl standing, with long dark hair that was pulled out of her face by a rubber band. A pair of headphones were draped around her neck, connecting to the silver disc she held in her left hand. Upon catching his eye, she scowled, climbing into the tree to sit next to him. 'You're thinking about Kairi again,' she stated.

Riku didn't say anything to Keaira. He couldn't.

The girl gave an exasperated sigh and pulled off her headphones, handing them and the disc to Riku. 'Go play number . . .' she stopped a moment, as though contemplating which one. 'Number two. Go play number two for Kairi.'

'But –' Riku began, but Keaira simply held up a hand.

'I know you're Mr High-and-Mighty around here, but just do it. Then you can say whatever you want.' Riku watched as she crossed over the bridge connecting to the main island. He seriously wondered about her mentality sometimes . . . his gaze shifted back to the disc. Number two . . .

Riku climbed off the paopu tree and strode to the water's edge, looking out over the water. Did he want to trust her? . . . he wasn't quite sure. He sighed, weighing the options in his mind. Eventually, he came to a conclusion. There was nothing to lose by playing it. But he wouldn't go to Kairi. No . . . he'd wait for her to come to him. She and Sora would come watch the sunset that evening – they always did – and he could just ask her to stay behind for a moment . . . right? Riku nodded to himself. 

Sunset came, and with it, the sound of three sets of footfalls on the bridge. Sora and Kairi climbed onto the Paopu tree; Keaira walked up to Riku. 'Why haven't you played it yet?' she asked. 'Waiting for the right time, I suppose,' she answered herself. 'Ah, well, whatever. Keep it as long as you want.' She paused a beat before continuing, 'Just came to ask that, I'll let you go back to your time with Kairi and Sora. Nice talking to you, bye!' and she left. Riku blinked.

After the sun had set, Sora tumbled off the tree, remarking that it was time to go. 'Kairi,' Riku said. 'Will you wait a moment?'

'Sure,' she answered, thoroughly mystified. Riku waited until Sora had crossed the bridge before beginning, and even then, he sat and tried to think of the best way to phrase it – just as he had been all day. 

'Look, Keaira gave me this and told me to play number two. I have no idea what it is, so it's all her doing.'

'All right . . .' answered Kairi.

Riku pulled out the silver disc and forwarded it to number two. 

_I don't want you_

_To give it all up_

_Leave your own life_

_Collecting dust_

_And I don't want you_

_To feel sorry for me_

_You never gave us _

_A chance to be_

_And I don't need you_

_To be by my side_

_Tell me that_

_Everything's alright_

_I just wanted you_

_To tell me the truth_

_You know I'd do_

_That for you_

_So why are you running away_

_Why are you running away_

_Cos I did enough_

_To show you that I_

_Was willing to _

_Give and sacrifice_

_And I was the one_

_That was lifting you up_

_When you thought _

_Your life had had enough_

_When I get close_

_You turn away_

_Nothing that I _

_Can do or say_

_So now I need you_

_To tell me the truth_

_You know I'd do that for you_

_So why are you running away_

_Why are you running away_

_Is it me_

_Is is you_

_Nothing that_

_I can do_

_To make you_

_Change your mind_

_Is it me_

_Is it you_

_Nothing that_

_I can do_

_Is it a _

_Waste of time_

_Is it me_

_Is it you_

_Nothing that_

_I can do_

_To make you_

_Change your mind_

_So why are you running away_

_Why are you running away_

_So why are you running away_

_Why are you running away_

Both Riku and Kairi blinked. Kairi seemed to be in deep thought, Riku noted . . .

*        *        *

((Kairi's POV))

Sora and I had crossed the bridge to Riku's Paopu to watch the sunset, just like always. He'd grown distant ever since he and Sora had returned home. I tried asking Sora what had happened to him that made such a change, but Sora had only shaken his head and replied that it wasn't his place to tell. I'd have to ask Riku. 

It had been awhile since they'd returned home, and I vowed to myself that I'd ask him. I could still remember when we'd found out he hadn't been going home, just a few weeks before the storm. We'd asked him why he hadn't told us that; he could have stayed with one of us . . . his reply? 'You didn't ask.'

So imagine my surprise when Riku asked me to stay behind. 

Neither of us said anything for a moment; both of us in thought. I was wondering what to say; blurting out, 'What happened when you were gone?' didn't seem like the most subtle thing to say. However, before I even started, he told me that Keaira had given him a song to play for me, and that he hadn't even heard it. And he played the song . . . 

Listening to it, I was reminded of what Keaira had been talking about earlier.

_Keaira took a swig of water, gazing out over the crystal waters. 'Imagine this.' No-one had thought anything of it, because she frequently said 'Imagine if', followed by some totally random thought. 'Imagine you were somewhere else . . . you're all alone, you have no idea as to where you are. A man appears in front of you. He knows where your friends are – or, well, one of them. He takes you to see him (or her, for you guys) and when you see him (her), he's (she's . . . ah, dammit, I'm just going to refer to him as a he. It's a lot easier) So when you see him, he's nearly dead. He looks dead, to you, but the man tells you that something's happened to him. The mysterious man can help you, but he wants you to do a favour for him. Now, your friend is someone you've started to develop feelings for, but he's busy, chasing off after some other girl. Maybe . . . if you save him, he'll see you._

_'So the question is, what do you do?'_

I realised now, exactly what she'd been getting at. Or, I thought I did. There was only one way to find out . . . 'Riku . . . what happened to you after – after the storm?'

*        *        *

((Riku's POV))

'Riku . . . what happened to you after – after the storm?'

I choked back a bitter laugh. The song Keaira had given me had dragged up several of those awful memories . . . it echoed through my head, building to a throbbing question: _Why are you running away?_ Why was I running from the past. What had happened, had happened, and nothing was going to be able to change it. I closed my eyes for a moment; when I opened them, my voice was steady. 'After the storm . . . I found myself somewhere I'd never been. There was no-one else there, and I started walking through the abandoned place, looking for someone – anyone.' I paused here, then continued on, 'I finally _did_ find someone – a witch called Maleficent. She told me that she knew where Sora was . . . I figured that I'd join him and we'd find you, right?

'Well, I met up with him, all right, but he had two new companions, Donald and Goofy.' I heard my voice hardening as I continued, 'Sora invited me to come with them to the different worlds, but Donald didn't want to let me, so I let them go on without me. Later on, I saw him talking to them, and Maleficent appeared again. She told me that he'd just _replaced_ us. And I'd just found out that he was the Keyblade master – what was I supposed to think? It certainly _looked_ as if he'd replaced us . . . and she offered to help me find you . . . I accepted.

'But if I was to get to find you, I had to do her a favour, first. That's when it started, I think. Either then, or when we first met . . . but my job was to bring a girl called Jasmine to Hollow Bastion,' I was aware that I probably shouldn't be telling her everything, but I needed to get it all off my shoulders. 'After that, Maleficent told me that you'd lost your heart. What was I supposed to do? I guess that all the darkness was getting to me by then . . . every time she referred to Sora, Maleficent would repeat that he'd abandoned us for the Keyblade and the other two. I wanted to get you back . . . she packed me off to a man called Hook's ship. That was where I found you.

'Light, it was just awful. You didn't have a heart then . . .' I felt myself being pulled back into the memories. 'Just lying there, helpless as anything . . . and I couldn't do anything. I'd promised that I'd protect you . . . and Sora, too, but to me it seemed that since he'd gotten the Keyblade, he didn't want help anymore. I felt useless . . . I couldn't do anything . . .' I trailed off, but noticed that Kairi didn't seem like she was going to say anything. What I'd said was true, then.

'I didn't see Sora again until we met up at Hollow Bastion. By then . . .' I shivered. 'Light, I'm ashamed of how I acted then. I could've _killed_ him . . .' my voice held a tone of disgust I'd never used in front of my friends. 'Then the darkness in me was so out of control I let Ansem take control. I _let_ him!' I stared out over the ocean, venting to it. No-one wanted to listen to my complaints. _I_ didn't want to listen to my own complaints. But I remembered once, being told, 'It's okay to share your feelings, Riku. No-one will hold it against you . . .' Right. Sure. Like they wouldn't hold it against me if I told them everything. So no-one could know. I'd tell myself.

I wasn't aware of Kairi anymore. To me, this was just my way of expressing myself – even if it _was_ to myself.

*        *        *

((Kairi's POV))

I wasn't sure if Riku knew I was there anymore. He was being absorbed into his story, reliving every scene he described. 'Ansem said he had no more need for me, and tried to force me out of my own body, but Sora and his friends came in before he succeeded.' I noticed that he didn't say 'new friends', but just 'friends'. Did this mean he didn't consider himself one of Sora's friends anymore?

'They fought, but because I was halfway out of body and half in, I felt every blow . . . stung like hell, but it didn't matter. About halfway through, I gained control of myself again. I tried to help Sora out a bit, but before he managed to end it, Ansem blocked and they fought again. Sora won over him, and Ansem used an Invisibility spell. Sora picked up my Keyblade, the one that unlocked hearts, and stabbed himself. Ansem was quite happy . . . I couldn't believe he'd done that! Couldn't he see he was just playing into their hands? But no, _baka_ had to go and stab himself! That was when Kairi woke up . . .' It was weird, hearing Riku refer to me as though I wasn't there. But I continued listening, 'Ansem noticed that the final Keyhole was finished, and he was going to kill her. I couldn't let that happen; I'd sworn to protect her . . . 

'I fought him. And managed to buy enough time for them to get out of the castle. After that . . . Ansem was a bit murderous, to say the least. I went through a lot in those twenty minutes . . . then I was just dropped into Kingdom Hearts like a rag doll. I met this mouse-like creature, called King Mickey. He told me to wait in one spot, and he left, fighting the Heartless, I think. 

'Later on, I heard Sora outside, talking to Ansem. The doors of Kingdom Hearts opened, and an extremely bright light surged out, destroying him. Sora and co. came to the door and were trying to shut it, but the Heartless were going to get out, and it was obvious that they couldn't shut it alone. I decided to help them. I went up and started pulling the doors closed. I probably could've slipped through, but after Ansem, I didn't deserve to just go back to normal life. I deserved to be locked inside Kingdom Hearts.' My jaw dropped at this. Riku had been trapped inside Kingdom Hearts?! No-one deserved that, especially not Riku. 

'I don't know how long we were in there . . . it was a bit tedious, fighting Heartless day after day, but Mickey began teaching me magic. One day, though, I noticed a glowing Heartless symbol. We went to examine it, and from what I heard, a man in a dark overcoat came and brought us through the crest. I woke up after it had all happened, though . . . we came to a city, and Mickey and I were separated. That was the night I noticed all the falling stars . . . the wall's barriers had come down again . . .'

Riku's voice was growing hoarse as he continued speaking, finally nearing the end of his story, but he didn't seem to notice it. ' . . .They thanked us, and showed us how to get home. Finally, after _so_ long, I've made it home . . . funny, really, I never thought I'd be _glad_ to get back here . . .'

*        *        *

((Normal))

Kairi swallowed hard, seeing the obvious connection between Riku's story, Keaira's 'Imagine if', and the song they'd heard earlier. 'Riku . . . I'm sorry,' she said. Riku jumped at her voice; he really _had_ forgotten that she was there.

'For what?' he demanded. 'For my mistakes? Don't be. For Kingdom Hearts? It was my own choice. Just as my own curiosity got us into all of this mess in the first place. If I hadn't been so focused on seeing new worlds, maybe we'd all be happy here. What are you sorry for?'

'Everything I've done,' whispered Kairi, and fled, leaving a perplexed Riku in her wake. 

It was only after she left that he noticed that Keaira's disc was missing, 'Damn!'

Kairi listened to the song again:

_Cos I did enough_

_To show you that I_

_Was willing to _

_Give and sacrifice_

_And I was the one_

_That was lifting you up_

_When you thought _

_Your life had had enough_

_When I get close_

_You turn away_

_Nothing that I _

_Can do or say_

_So now I need you_

_To tell me the truth_

_You know I'd do that for you_

_So why are you running away_

Why are you running away 

For the first time, she understood everything. She understood the scathing looks Keaira'd thrown her a few times. She understood what Keaira was always hinting at. 

But probably most importantly, she understood what Keaira had tried to show her through the song lyrics. Riku had been willing to sacrifice anything and everything. He'd been there for her, even when Sora had been searching for her. True, he hadn't been the one to truly _save_ her, but he'd have done anything, even if it meant sacrificing . . . and ever since they'd gotten back to the island, she'd been focused on Sora, her hero. She hadn't even thought about what Riku'd gone through, always brushing him off for Sora – even if unintentionally.

Kairi looked out her window, towards Riku's Paopu. She noticed a small fire going on the beach, and smiled faintly, setting down on the window to watch him.

A few houses down, a dark-haired girl perched on her rooftop, looking between Riku's fire and Kairi's window. She smiled sadly; although she'd made a difference, that didn't make it any easier to handle. She retreated within herself, other matters pushing themselves forward. She smirked a bit, 'A possible case two: Alexa and Sora?'

Keaira was hard put not to burst out laughing at the absurdity of the idea. 'Alexa and Luke. Definitely.' She nodded to herself; this would be fun . . . if it could be accomplished.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**passes out**  
Ryou: She thinks that's too long?  
Tom: . . . yep.  
Artemis: She'll say it was hard to write. Has Yami B been able to destroy the writer's block yet, Ryou?  
Ryou: **shakes head** Although he accidentally blew the door off the room with the six-eyed monster . . .  
Artemis: **sighs** Ari's going to freak.  
Tom: **grins** Yami B's gonna have hell to pay . . . hey, you two do the ending notes, I don't feel like waiting all night for Ari to wake up.  
Ryou: Why's she so tired, anyways?  
Tom: Family reunion **shudders** They had a huge waterfight, Ari got completely drenched, but it was fun. To watch, anyways. The girls couldn't control the temperature of the water in the bathroom and it was burning hot water . . . then she got a direct hit on one of the boys, either on the face or just a bit below . . . and when they ran out of balloons, they just filled up cups with water. Ari got Jonathon again, with a cupful of ice water, ice cubes and all.  
Ryou: Wouldn't that hurt?  
Tom: **shrugs** They were running around, and she just dunked the cup in the cooler. It was really funny to watch, though.  
Ryou: What, were those two only going after each other?  
Tom: Seemed like it. **shakes head** The only reason Ari started in was because Jonathon got her cd player wet, and after that she got soaked – mostly because they used the bathrooms as base, and the boys would wait in front of the door, and as soon as the door opened, they'd throw a balloon in, or dump water on Ari's head.  
Ari: **sits up** Mk, this conversation is interesting ^_^ and I got him back! I forced my way into the bathroom cos the wimps were hiding, took sue's balloon, reached around the door and got him smack hard **beams** He deserved it. I was so wet I could fill a cup by wringing out the front of my shirt. It was fun, though. And little kids are annoying. They kept saying that me and Jonathon liked each other . . . pains in the asses, all of them. So annoying.   
Tom: Are you finished?  
Ari: Yes, and so are all of you. This is pretty long . . .   
Tom: Fine.

I don't like this story for some reason. At first the paragraphs were too short, then they got too large, I couldn't think of words to make it sound better, I lost focus about twenty times, Riku seems OOC, and I flat out don't like it.

But that's all the more reason to review, right? Can't have the author thinking they suck, right? **hopeful grin** Remember, if you want any more stories, this girl needs her inspiration!!


End file.
